Gravity-catch for sliding-side cribs.



W. B. FOSTER.

GRAVITY CATCH FOR SLIDING SIDE CRIBS. APPLICATION FILED DEC. a. 1913.

1,151,774. Patented Aug. 31, 1915.

ATTORNEYS UNTFJE) TATE PATENT @FFTQE.

WILLIAM B. FOSTER, OF UTIOA, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOB' TO FOElTER BROTHERS MANU- FACTURING COMPANY, OF UTIOA, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION.

GRAVITY-CATCH FOE SLIDING-SIDE CRIBS.

Application filed December 8, 1913.

My present invention relates to processes of making and assembling gravity catches and combinations of gravity catches and guide rod brackets for sliding side cribs and the like. I

In most ordinary forms of cribs equipped with sliding sides the bracket which supports the gravity catch and also supports the guide rod upon which the sliding side operates must be secured to the corner post before the final finishing or enameling of the post and bracket in order to prevent the aflixing of the bracket marring the'finish of the post or bracket. For'the same reason the gravity catch pivotally mounted upon the bracket has to be mounted upon the bracket before the bracket and post and preferably the catch are finished or the catch must be afliXed with very great care to prevent the injuring of the finish or special and more elaborate means must be employed to fasten the catch to the bracket after the parts have received their final finish. This assembling of the post, bracket and catch in all simple constructions before the final finish is a disadvantage in that it necessitates all of said parts being finished in the same style or color and tends to clog up the bearing surfaces of the pivotal or swivel connection between the gravity catch and the bracket.

The purpose of my present invention is to provide a process to obviate the above mentioned disadvantages by providing a construction wherein the parts may receive their finish or enamel before the gravity catch is mounted upon the bracket and then the gravity catch be mounted and permanently secured in place without injuring the finish upon the catch, the bracket or the post.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 31, 1915.

Serial No. 805,195.

A. further object of my invention is to provide an improved process of making a construction of the character described which is simple in manufacture, easy to assemble and strong and durable in use.

Figure 1 shows in side elevation the parts of one end of a sliding side crib illustrating my invention. Fig. 2 is a perpendicular sectional view on line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view of the parts seen immediately below line 38 of Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a plan or side view of the gravity catch as originally formed and shown as being passed over the broadened head of the bracket.

Referring to the drawing for a more parsection so as to form a neck 1% while the portion of said bracket therebeyond is made into a head 15 broader than said neck and preferably flattened so as to be more conveniently perforated by a circular hole 16.

Preferably the broadened head 15 will be so arranged as to lie in a substantially horizontal line with its two sides projecting beyond the line of'the neck 14: so as to form abrupt shoulders 17 facing toward the neck. The bracket 9 is secured in any suitable way .to the post 8 at any convenient stage in the assembling of said parts and conveniently before the finishing or enameling.

. The gravity catch 18 having the usual hook 19 and the usual downward facing cam surface 20 is formed with an eye 21 circular in the main but provided with two loppositely disposed outwardly extending recesses 22 as plainly indicated in Fig. 4. The diameter of the eye in its long way or from recess to recess is greater than the width of head 15 of bracket 9 and the width of the recesses 22 is-greater than thethickness of head 15 so that by placing the catch 18 in 1 through the circular part of said eye being larger than the neck 14:, back upon said neck. It will then be obvious that by releasing said catch it will swing downwardly and hang in swiveling relation upon said neck 14 and would be retained thereon as long as the catch was not moved to horizontal position since the shoulders 17 would in any depending position of the catch engage that part of the catch adjacent to the circular portion of the eye 21 and would not mesh with the recesses 22. However to prevent such an accidental displacement and to render the catch at all times operative the catch is permanently mounted upon the bracket 9 in the following manner: The eye portion of the catch is so shaped and formed and the catch composed of such material that the eye may be slightly compressed in a line at right angles to its greatest diameter by relatively slight pressure which may be easily applied after the catch is in place on the bracket and without straining said catch and without damaging its finish. This compression of the catch about the eye 21 will change the shape thereof from that shown in full lines to the shape indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4 so that the two semicircular portions of the eye 21 will be brought nearer together forming almost a complete circle loosely swin ing upon the round neck 14 while the sides of each recess 22 have been brought toward each other enough so that the width of the said recesses is less than the thickness of the shoulders 17 and head 15. It will then be obvious that even when the catch is moved to horizontal position relative to the head 15 the narrower recesses 22 will not pass the shoulders 17. It will be noticed that through relying upon this compression only to prevent accidental disengagement only a relatively slight compres sion is necessary and thenormal working or wear of the parts is taken care of by the ample projection of shoulders 17. The cross piece 12 of the sliding side is extended beyond eve 13 so that as the sliding side is raised it will engage cam surface 20 upon the gravity catch and force said gravity catch to one side until the end of said cross piece is engaged by hook 19' in the usual. way as indicated in Fig. 2. Upon raising the sliding side sli htly it may be disenga ed from the gravity catches in an obvious manner.

The means here shown for securing the gravity catch upon the crib is very strong and not at all likely to be so broken or strained as to let the catch escape. If, however, through any hard usage or accident the catch should be disconnected or the eye of the catch broken and so allow the catch to come off, another catch may be mounted upon the bracket as already indicated without sending the crib to the factory and without any special tools or particular skill as all that is necessary is to slip the eye of the catch over the head of the bracket and compress the sides of the eye as already incli- V cated.

Through the catch not being placed upon the bracket until the bracket and post have received their final finish and also not until the catch has received its final finish, it will be obvious that the catch may be of an entirely different material and especially may be supplied with entirely different finish or enamel. For the same reason it will be apparent that the contact portions of the swivel joint will not become clogged in the finishing operations since the parts are separate and much more accessible.

What I claim as new and desire to secure from the bracket but is still swingingly mounted on the neck portion thereof.

2. The process of making a gravity catch for sliding side cribs which consists of providing projecting from the crib post a bracket having a neck portion adjacent the post and a head having laterally extending and horizontally arranged projections and providing a gravity latch member having an aperture in its upper end larger than the body of the head and of the neck and having recesses extending outwardly from said main aperture and longitudinally of the latch, placing said latch upon the neck by arranging the latch horizontally and passing the main aperture over the head and the recesses over the head projections and then compressing the apertured end of the latch until the latch cannot be removed from the bracket even when horizontally arranged.

In witness whereof I have afiixed my signature. in the presence of two witnesses, this 15th day of Nov, 1913.

WILLIAM B. FOSTER.

Witnesses:

HARRIET WILLIAMS, ANNABEL DAVIS. 1

Copies. of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). 0'. 

